NORRISTOWN — Jim McGinness has been crafting independence for folks for more than 30 years.

Whether he custom-creates a prosthetic for a missing limb or designs the right brace to support a weakened extremity, there’s always a way to give someone back their freedom, McGinness said.

“Every problem has a solution; you just have to look for it. And when you can solve the problem, it’s pretty satisfying. Some things are routine, but there are situations where you just have to figure out how you can help this person.”

More and more, technology is equipping the owner of J.G. McGinness Prosthetics and Orthotics, Inc. with the ability to accomplish things that were only possible on TV’s “The Six Million Dollar Man” 40 years ago.

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“When I got in the business 30-some years ago, the technology has made such a jump from then to now, it’s incredible,” said McGinness, who might have become a physical therapist instead of a prosthetist after earning a degree from West Chester University had it not been for a job offer from a prosthetics executive.

A recent source of gratification for McGinness, wife and co-owner Joanne and office manager Lorraine Picard came from sharing in the joy of a young woman named Monica, who reclaimed her life with one of the first commercially available bionic hands to be fitted in the area.

According to manufacturer Touch Bionics, the i-LIMB Pulse, which operates on Bluetooth-enabled software, is engineered with a pulsing grip that makes tactile functions like tying shoelaces much easier.

“We are currently working to upgrade her to the new i-LIMB Ultra Revolution hand that will basically look the same but is enhanced and is, they say, the ‘most versatile and dexterous prosthetic hand available,’ ” said McGinness, who noted that the i-Limb Revolution has a powered rotating thumb and 24 customizable grip options, which can be controlled with an iPhone app.

“Monica was very excited about The Times Herald article because she wanted to share with others that so much can be achieved with prosthetics,” McGinness said. “She said that when she first came to us and got a passive arm with the silicone covering that looked just like her natural arm she gained confidence in herself, and in a short time she was ready to explore her new myoelectric (prosthesis controlled by electrodes on muscles) hand. Today she has gained independence in things we take for granted … carrying food and drink at a buffet, cutting her food with both a fork and knife, pulling up a zipper on her jacket, helping others at her job, and much more.”

Just about every day brings a unique scenario — even animals have benefited from McGinness’ expertise — that is just different enough to be challenging, said McGinness, who earned his certification in prosthetics and orthotics from New York University.

“It’s a different mechanical situation that presents itself, and you need to do some problem solving,” McGinness said. “Maybe someone’s foot is not picking up properly, so we have to design a brace to work with the muscle. It’s always different, and yet some things are common. We customize a lot of braces for back injuries.”

An innovative solution McGinness came up with recently involved a woman who had been born with a spina bifida malformation, resulting in a left foot that was perpendicular to her body.

“She walked on crutches, wearing a lift on her leg, with a very awkward looking gait,” McGinness said. “Her foot will always turn in like that so we asked ourselves ‘how can we make this girl walk better?’ We can’t orthopedically change the configuration, but how can we do an optical illusion to make her look better?’”

The solution: a brace-and-prosthetic combination.

“We took a cast of her leg and put a prosthetic down below, underneath her foot, which equaled the height in the lift differential, which she had on when she came to us. When she walks now it’s hard to tell she even has something wrong because it gives the appearance of a normal gait and she can wear any shoes she wants to now.”

The young women told McGinness that no specialist had ever suggested such an effective way to remedy the problem, he said.

“I’m not saying no one else has ever done this, but I’ve never seen it done.”

After renting office space on Sandy Hill Road for a dozen years, McGinness bought the property and set up shop on DeKalb Street eight years ago.

“The patients’ lives we touch every day leave us feeling excited and rewarded,” McGinness said. “When people are left with a disability that changes their life and their activity level, life can seem hopeless. When we show them a prosthetic or orthotic device that can help them regain ability, the spirit is renewed. We are excited to let people who may be wondering ‘is there something that can be done for me?’ know that we are here for them. So many times we see someone in the community with a disability without a device that can help and we want to say ... ‘we can help you.’ It’s amazing to see people get their lives back.”